千变杭州，下一秒会给你什么样的惊喜
杭州，已经连续10年被评为中国最具幸福感城市，先后获得联合国最佳人居奖、国际花园城市、国家森林城市等称号。宜居杭州，代表了未来城市发展的一种路径。亚里士多德曾说：人们居住在城市，是为了生活得更好。今天，随小布一起感受，杭州这座城市好在哪儿~
In 2001, the Hangzhou city government carried out construction works on the lakeside and West Lake Scenic Area, extending the lake further west for an expansion of 6.5 square kilometres. Water supply work was performed and the lake was connected to the Qiantang River. It now pulls in 300,000 cubic metres of water from the river each day, and now the lake water supports a living ecosystem. The most apparent effect of the expansion work on everyday people’s lives is that the lake is bigger, and taking a walk around the entire circumference of the lake, its pedestrian bridges would be a rather extended affair. The reconstructed Yang Gong Causeway affords quite a nice view.
At the Xiling Bridge there is a forest of maple trees, and when autumn turns the leaves red and frost accumulates on the leaves, they are a sign to see. I take a walk at Xiling as the autumn wind blows. Warm sunlight drives away the cold in the air, and the scene is bathed in bright orange-red. The lotuses wilt,leaves fall down – the whole experience feels very poetic. One may pick maple leaves and play with them in hand, or press them into bookmarks, taking a piece of the scene home to keep.
The West Creek Wetlands
Hangzhou is expanding continuously. From a population of 1 million in the early 1980’s to seven times that, millions of people have come to Hangzhou from other places. The surrounding fields and vegetable patches have been replaced by high- rise buildings, with only the West Creek Wetlands being left untouched.There are a number of villages in the area, the residents of which are involved in raising mulberry trees and silkworms, fish and crabs, and growing persimmons. The government has kept the area in its original state, and also opened it up to tourism. Just as the Gaozong Emperor of the Song Dynasty said in the 12th century, “the West Creek area shall remain as it is”.
The persimmon tree is also known as the “tree of longevity” and has auspicious connotations. When the golden winds blow, the branches are covered in fiery fruit. At harvest time each year, there is a “fiery fruit” festival in the West Creek area. The autumn air is fragrant and the reed catkins are all about as the persimmons decorate the banks of the West Creek, bathed in the warm light of sunset. People in high spirits happily pick the fruit, enjoying sampling the sweet flavour – these scenes are well-known from depictions in classical literature.
The Wushan Temple Fair is a joyous affair when it comes around each year. The temple is packed with people, and all kinds of programs and activities take place, making it very memorable. There are ceremonies and parades, performances, folk art,calligraphy and painting sales, juggling and conjury, birds and flowers for sale,exhibitions and sales of unique snacks, all kinds of shopping. Here one can experience the customs of the old city, relive childhood memories, and enjoy a festive atmosphere. It is a day of fun that is definitely not to be missed.
Hangzhou is a city that blends the flavour of modern lifestyles with the traditions of times past, with large roads carrying large numbers of large vehicles, and small winding alleyways existing unknown to many. The people of Hangzhou are truly lucky. One can wake up in the morning and stroll through the alleyways drinking a hot bowl of soy milk, look upward to see an old man talking idly as he waters the plants outside of his window, pass a group of hurrying school children, and look down to see a lazy stray cat warming itself in the sun.
The greenery in housing compounds in Hangzhou is definitely first-rate among large-scale cities nationwide. Most of the small roads in these compounds are lined with camphor, osmanthus, and other trees of many different varieties. In the spring,cherry petals fly about and peaches boom. In the summer, the Chinese trumpet creeper covers the walls all about, and loquats hang from the branches. In the autumn, the smell of sweet osmanthus is about and the gingko turn yellow. In the winter, pine trees greet the wind, and black chrysanthemum make an appearance. Every housing community is a garden.
With lush greenery and nice waterscapes less than a half-hour drive from Hangzhou, staying at Bed and Breakfast has become popular in the area. Amazing food and the chance to experience some local culture in the traditional buildings with white walls and black tile roofs characteristic of this region of China. Here you can relax and enjoy drinking tea, chatting, reading books and experience another kind of lifestyle.
运河
水上巴士
Thirty years ago, the road system wasn’t as developed, and the preferred mode oftransport for those who lived along the banks of the canal to travel from their small villages into Hangzhou was by boat. At the time, the residents of these villages all hoped that one day they would be able to take buses into the city.When this was implemented, the boats were more or less abandoned by the residents, but surprisingly became valued by others for the scenery that could be enjoyed upon them. Now the canal “buses” still run, and travellers choose to take these boats for a different kind of experience.
On my way to Wulinmen to meet classmates, I checked the map and saw that I’d taken the wrong route. I didn’t feel like rechecking, so I asked a pretty girl. She said I could look it up on my phone, but didn’t wait for me to do so. She took her phone,found the place for me and then took me there, pointing me down a road in front and saying that it was right up there. She looked at me worriedly, afraid I hadn’t understood. This wasn’t my first time receiving this kind of treatment.If you ask an elderly person with free time, you’ll almost always be escorted part of the way. Hangzhou is a nice place and the people are nice, too!
The Longjing Tea of Hangzhou’s West Lake is one of China’s ten most famous teas,and has the nickname “The Empress of Green Teas”. The leaves are known for four qualities: being green, fragrant, sweet in taste, and beautiful in shape. Sitting by a window on an overcast day, making a cup of Longjing Tea, with a book inhand to enjoy with the tea against the background noise of light rain outside is one of the great pleasures in life. If you have the opportunity to come to Hangzhou, you must visit a tea house by the West Lake and try some Longjing Tea while enjoying a view of the lake – a slice of the poet’s life.
It is hard to say if September brings about the floating fragrance of osmanthus blooms, or if the osmanthus blooms bring about the chilly comfort of September.At the start of autumn in Hangzhou one can always expect the fragrance of osmanthus. As the city flower of Hangzhou, the osmanthus carries connotationsof prosperity, friendship, love, honour, and reflection. “Yellow flowers blanket Manjuelong valley, and as the wind blows their fragrance descends upon myriad peaks.” The best place for appreciating these beautiful blossoms is Laurel Park in Manjuelong valley, where over 9,000 osmanthus grow.
17% of Hangzhou’s native population is elderly. They are calm and cool, as flash and ostentation isn’t part of Hangzhou’s culture. In the mists of the morning, the sound of them singing traditional songs flows throughout the forest.When the rain falls upon the red peach blossoms, they write with brushes dipping with water of the West Lake on the green stones. In the moist air underthe bright sun, they walk around, carrying birdcages and from which emanate allkinds of chirping sounds. They live simple and beautiful lives – they are the models of calm.
Cities like Hong Kong and Paris have titles like “The City of Dynamism” and “The City of Romance”. Hangzhou seeks to be“The City of Love”, and overflow with romance and passion. In fact, when Lady Bai and Xu Xian famously met at the Broken Bridge, when Liang Shanbo and ZhuYingtai met at the Wansong Academy, when Su Xiaoxiao and Ruan Yu met at the Xiling Bridge,when Yu Dafu and Wang Yingxia, Shi Liangcai and Shen Qiushui, Xu Zhimo and LuXiaoman all met, these were the beginnings of Hangzhou love stories.
In a minute you can go from the dazzling metropolis, and taking a turn around acorner, you’ll be in an ancient-feeling scene of red brick walls and green stone roads. You might be walking over a mud road in the mountains, and green-moss covered cobblestone streets, and after cresting a peak, come upon a dilapidated old pagoda. Sitting on a traditional wooden bench, you can see a stone stele that evokes strong emotions upon looking at it. Taking a walk around Hangzhou, you never know what scenery you might come upon next, because it’s a city of a thousand faces. Who knows what the next moment may bring about?
内容参考《微观杭州》一书
见习编辑：丁桂花
责任编辑：张正华